Without the candlestick, the passage would be pitch-black.
Once we returned to the castle proper, Elvie’s subordinates returned to their posts.
We headed to a gathering room for royal guards to discuss what to do with Dupe.
“The Holy Land of Rubens wishes to execute him as soon as possible.”
“Of course.”
The longer they kept him, the greater his chance of escape. Holding him demanded resources and a complex procedure, too.
Rila signaled at me with her eyes. I nodded in understanding.
“I’d like to know what he is and why he exists,” I said.
“What good will that do?”
“This is an achievement beyond both demons and humans. He claims he was created from my arm.”
Elvie objected. “What nonsense!”
“One would think… But he has the same skill I do, and he moves and thinks in battle as I would. You saw his face, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes…” Elvie remained reluctant to accept the idea.
Rila spoke for me. “It is conspicuous that his arm was chosen for this process.”
“But who made that call in the first place?” Elvie wondered.
“If we knew that, we would not be in such dire straits. A look-alike body identical to the original created from a preserved arm. Do you understand what that means, Goody Two-shoes? An entire person might be replicated from a single hair.”
I nodded. “Resurrecting previous heroes and demon lords is now a possibility.”
“What…would you have me do?” Elvie asked.
“I’d like you to torture him over time. One method in particular should work. It’s worse than anything I’ve ever experienced,” I replied.
It happened during an assassination. I infiltrated a place as a prisoner, and was thus subjected to torture.
“I was great at withstanding pain, so they left me in darkness. I have no idea for how long. Time’s passing lost meaning, and I was continually starved. It left me in a horrible state. But there was a jailer who came to give me a sip of water once in a while. He greeted me very plainly, and sometimes even spoke with me. There were also days when he said nothing. Being in the dark, without light, without sound, without any warmth…it messed with my head. Amid all that, the guard felt like an angel. He didn’t ask me anything, either. That was the torture.”
“So… What happened?” Elvie pressed, curious.
“I almost talked. I almost told him who I was, why I was there, and who I needed to kill. All because I thought he’d return if I did. I began to value the man’s interest in me more than my work. That’s what the process did to me.”
Later, I discovered this practice was implemented because of a rumor that a prisoner had a secret fortune stashed somewhere. They revealed the location of that treasure before I exposed my goal to the guard, and I was released.
That prisoner had actually been my target.
“So we don’t need to make him talk. Rather, we just need an environment where he wants to talk,” Elvie concluded.
“Exactly. As long as you’re fine watching and looking after him. We couldn’t get anything out of him with magic, so this is the only route left.”
“Hmm…” Elvie didn’t seem very enthusiastic.
Rila had a nasty-looking grin on her face. “Oh, perhaps… You believe yourself incapable of doing such a terrible thing to one who resembles Roland… Is that correct?”
“Er…”
She hit the bull’s-eye. Elvie’s face turned red.
“Wh-wh-why of course! He looks just like the person I overcame so many hardships with. It would be one thing if they were different on the inside, but Roland says this impostor is the same… I just can’t help but harbor reservations…”
“If you can’t do it, then have someone else try. It’s not that difficult to become his angel.”
“O-okay. We’ll do it.”
“Wimp.”
“Sh-shut up!”
At last, we had a plan for Dupe.
Now that the assassination of King Rubens was solved, I could return to my ordinary life.
While going about my typical guild employee duties, a coworker asked me why I cut back on hours for a bit.
“I took a short trip to the Holy Land of Rubens.”
At this, my colleague’s eyes widened for a moment.
“Well, I guess Argan would be capable of that…”
For some reason, a lot of people agreed with that assessment.
“Mr. Roland, have you heard about the gossip circulating in Rubens?” Milia asked. She thought I was away on a normal trip.
“Is there some news?” I asked.
“They say the king passed away from sickness. You really heard nothing about it while abroad? An adventurer told me there was a huge funeral…”
“Oh yes… Now I remember.”
According to Elvie’s letter, the government made a public announcement to prevent any discord.
Just as Milia said, the public story was that the king had died of a sudden illness.
“The announcement wasn’t made while I was there, and Wegal didn’t seem unusual,” I fibbed.
“Oh, really? I thought the funeral might’ve been a little festival or something.”
Depending on the country, burial ceremonies could range from austere to showy… I doubted any would be dubbed “little festivals,” though.
Dupe hadn’t given up anything useful yet.
A recent letter explained that I’d be kept informed, but a quiet execution would be carried out eventually.
If he realized we were trying to squeeze information out of him on a deadline, he’d never talk.
I hoped Elvie played this right.
Unless Dupe gave us something to work with, the execution would be inevitable and we’d have no leads.
I wanted information about that mysterious technology. Perhaps King Randolf knew something.
“Mr. Rolaaand? There’s an adventurer asking for you.”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
I stood and headed to the counter.
I decided I would stop by Wawok’s place before visiting King Randolf. The vampire insisted several times that I should check in with him after using the armband.
Wawok, perhaps impatient, showed up at my house before I’d found the right time for my trip to him and King Randolf.
“Soooo, how’d it go? Tell me.” Wawok sat across from me on a sofa and leaned his pale face in close.
I pushed him back with my left hand.
Rila and Dey were seated on either side of me.
“Don’t get too close.”
“As you wish, Roland, my lad. I just can’t help my curiosity. It’s a prototype, so I haven’t tested its performance much.”
“I’ll start from the conclusion.”
Wawok audibly gulped.
“It is entirely usable.”
“Woo-hoo!” He flung both his arms up in the air like a child.
“I wondered what the strange band was. So it is one of the devices you developed,” Rila said, nodding.
“Wellll… I don’t like it.” Dey pouted like a child as she watched Wawok celebrate. “Master Roland only needs to rely on me. I’m more than enough.”
“And I am here. I have yet to put on the collar.”
“If either of you think you won’t hold me back in the next battle with myself, then I will rely on you both,” I stated.
Rila and Dey immediately turned away from me.
“I could never. If you were facing another you… Why, I’d pee myself from the sense of your murderous aura alone…,” Dey replied.
Rila looked exasperated as Dey rubbed her knees together. “This meddlesome vampire has lived past her prime…and always seems to be in heat year-round…”
“So about that tactic you came up with, Roland—” Wawok began.
“It was immediately effective.”
“Whew.” Wawok whistled. His mood couldn’t have been better.
“I can’t believe such an underhanded person is useful to Master Roland… I’m so jealous.”
“What are you talking about? You’re plenty helpful, Dey.”
“Oh, you… I love you, Master Roland.”
I glanced at Rila, who let that comment slide with unusual silence. She stared into space with a blank expression. Several blue veins stood out on her temple.
“I—I could lay waste to this vampire past her prime right now.” Her voice trembled in anger. “However…I will be branded the petty one who was overcome with envy if I do…”
“You can’t, Lord Rileyla. If you use your power, it will attract a lot of bothersome visitors from Hell.”
“I am well aware!” Rila hissed, threatening to snap at Dey at any moment.
Wawok watched the exchange inquisitively.
“What is it? Looks like you have something to say,” I remarked.
“You are a curious person.” Wawok smiled awkwardly as he watched Rila and Dey glare at each other.
“I can’t believe this is what’s become of the greatest demon lord. And she’s competing with her own underling—one who isn’t even that close in the hierarchy to her.”
“It seems she doesn’t want to be the demon lord anymore. She can live as herself now. That’s probably why she seems so different.”
“And you are the one who enables her to have that life.”
“We just so happened to settle down together here.”
Wawok shrugged. “So you claim. After learning how the armband functions, you devised of a way to use it in combat immediately… You have a terrifying knack for fighting. I understand how you were able to bring down the demon lord… Although I feel you’ve made her fall in a different way since then.”
Dey kept laughing quietly to herself, shooting hostile glances at Rila, which ticked her off to no end.
In the past, Wawok had asked me if I wanted my right arm back. I hadn’t forgotten my thoughts at the time. If I could learn how to use my new arm, I’d…
Now I had a way to attack from a distance, something I always longed for but thought was impossible. Plus, with Unobtrusive, I could strike in a way even I couldn’t respond to. Learning more about this new arm would definitely make me even…
“Wawok, I would like to inquire about a certain new technology,” Rila began.
“All right. Let’s hear it.”
Rila finally put her battle with Dey on hold to ask Wawok about the other me.
“I’m afraid I don’t know about anything like that. My glyphs are the result of my own research. They’re not something that all vampires can use. You might want to consider whether you’re dealing with something similar.”
Rila sighed in defeat. “Alas, not even you have an inkling of what this might be.”
Not long after that discussion, Wawok decided to head out. “I’ll continue to make improvements. Let me know if you’d like anything specific,” he said before going.
I planned to dedicate myself to reaching heights I previously believed impossible. I had thought I’d mastered my skill, but the armband opened up new opportunities. It was possible for me to get stronger.